Katadyn BeFree Water Filtration System 0.6 L

Fresh water is one of the most important things you can pack for an afternoon, day, or weekend on the trail. While a water bottle might be sufficient for an hour or two, the BeFree bottle from Katadyn makes hydrating on the trail easy all day long. It is small enough to bring along on a trail run, but can handle the volume necessary for a long backpacking trip.

The best aspect of the BeFree bottle is its simplicity. Fill the soft-sided water bladder with dirty water, screw on the top, and take a drink. As you drink, water passes through the filter and exits the bottle through the drinking nozzle. If you need a little more pressure or want to fill up another water bottle, squeeze the bladder and watch water shoot out of the filter.

One downside of this filter is that it has a limited capacity for storing water. This is easily remedied by squeezing water through the filter into another water vessel, such as a water bladder or seperate water bottle. The bladder is susceptible to punctures as well, but with minimal attention it is easy to keep the bladder safe.

If you don’t want the hassle of a pump water filter, the time restraint of a gravity filter, or the chemical taste of tablet purification, the Katadyn BeFree bottle might your clean water answer. Starting at $39.95 for the 0.6 liter bottle, it is also a great option for a secondary filter.

Field Test

By Pat, Trailfitters staff member

I have been using the 0.6 L BeFree bottle while trail running for two years, logging over a thousand miles on the Superior Hiking Trail. The BeFree bottle has helped me stay hydrated as I’ve used it to drink water from lakes, rivers, streams, and on one desperate run-a beaver pond. It is light enough to sit unnoticed in my running vest, yet I trust it to ward off thirst on dozens of 25+ mile days. Although the inside of the bladder is stained from dark water, I have yet to replace the filter and it still works flawlessly.